Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.

Foolishness is not an occasional accident. You get a daily allowance whether you want one or not: tired, hungry, provoked, showing off. The skill is not purity but containment, noticing you are inside the five minutes and declining to make it fifty. Most of the damage comes from the extension rather than from the first mistake.

Learn the shape of your own five minutes, since it usually has a time of day and a familiar trigger. When you feel it starting, postpone anything irreversible for an hour. Foolishness made to wait rarely survives the wait.